Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-01-28
WASHINGTON LETTER.
The Position Of Recorder Of Deeds
for the District Of Columbia to
be Filled by a Colored Man.
Governor Fitzhugh Lee and Wife PREF .ent
at the First state Dinner Given By
the President and Mrs. Clevela nd.

Correspondence of the Gazette.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 2t.-It is announced
that in the event of the SerIate's rejecting
for g second time the MOI nination of Mat,
thews for the position of Recorder o.
Deeds for the District of Columbia, the
President will in all T reliability nominate
another colored MIN for the position
The person who is said to have been Sc
lected by the President is William H.
Smith, who for tee past twenty years has
been the Assistant Librarian of the House
OF Representatives. Mr., Smith was born
a slave in the District of Columbia, but,
with his family, was emanCipated
in 1853 by the will Of the gentle
man who owned him. From the
time of the emancipation of slaves
down to 1872 he was g Republican. but
since that time he has taken no active
part in politics. During his long term
of service as librarian he has acquired
such complete and accurate knowledge
of the arrangement of the library that his
services have been considered invaluable,
and his removal has never been suggested
by either the Republican or Democratic
parties. Mr.. Smith is exceedingly popu-
lar at the capitol, and it is said that the
President has received ample assurances
from both Democratic and Republican
Senators that in case mis- name is present
ed for the position that it viii be at once
confirmed.
The time fixed by law within which
French spoJiation claims must be filed eX-
pired on Friday last, at which time 1857
claims had been filed. a bill was recent
1y passed by the Senate, without opposi-
ton, extending the time for filing these
claims for one year, and it will doubtless
past the House Of Representatives.
Once in four years the POstoffice Depart
ment informs the public that in case an
inventor has produced a new device suit
able for use in the postal service, which
would be an Improvement on those in use,
change would be made. The announce
ment is about to be made, and will of
course result in the appearance Of host
OF inventors, each claiming his invention
to be the most complete and desirable for
the particular use for which ii is intended,
and each confident in the belief that the
committee intrusted with the duty OF eX
aiming the devices submitted tor eXamin-
alton will agree with him in Ills opinion IS
to the value of his particular invention as
compared with the hundreds of others
that are presented.
Speaker Carlisle has, IN response to the
urgent request of tie corps of lady news
paper correspondents in Washington,
designated that the first two rows of seats
in the private gallery, adjoining the press
gallery, be reserved for their exclusive
occupancy. Thisw4s done in compliance
with an urgent demand made to the COM
mittee on rules, but now that their re-
quest has been granted, the favor does
not seem to be appreciated, as not even
those who were the most persistent in
their efforts to secure the concession
have claimed the privilege granted them
by the Speaker.
The first state dinner given By the |
President and Mrs. Cleveland was given |
on Thursday evening. The families of
the Cabinet and few others were enter |
tanned. The presence of Mrs. Lamar, the I
bride of the Cabinet, and Governor FitZ-
hugh Lee and wife from Richmond, Va,
rendered the occasion particularly inter-
esting.